Church of the Holy Moon
The Church of the Holy Moon is an organization that have the mission of spreading of he teachings of its Goddess, Madonna of the Moon, all over the continent. It is also has the mission to alleviate the hardship of the people as well as to brought prosperity to every person and nation. =History= The Church of the Holy Moon are based out of Konrig where the Church leaders gather in the Cathedral of Luna. The Church sends its people all over the world, spreading the wisdom and comfort of the Goddess of the Moon, Madonna. They also do what they can to help people with more practical matters, from building homes to settling family disputes to scaring off enemies. It is a religion that is all about making people happy and prosper, not to mention a religion whose practitioners show clear evidence of divine blessing. Nobody really knows how the Church got its start. For that matter, no one knows when people first discovered the Holy Moon— or were discovered by it — either. According to tales, at the beginning, people began preaching of the Goddess Madonna and her influence and power that will make everything prosper and happy. There's also a lot of study and contemplation involved, particularly on how to make oneself a better person in order to commune with the Goddess more completely. They likely had libraries before they had churches, and the one simply grew out of the other. Eventually all those churches started working together, and then wound up with the Church of the Holy Moon. =Organization= The head of the entire church is the King of Cikira and he is assisted by the Lunar Archbishop and a council of bishops. It is the King who appoints the Archbishop and gives the right to the Archbishop to appoint bishops. Each bishop has charge of a region, in some cases an entire continent. The regions are based more on population than area, so in some cases a bishop might only be responsible for a large city, while others have an entire countryside. Priests work for the bishops, and they do most of the actual community work: preaching, tending to the wounded, teaching the children, and so on. They lay priests as well, who aren't ordained and cannot preach, but handle most of the daily chores around the temples and monasteries. The headquarter of the church is at Konrig, the Cathedral of Luna. =Membership= Though anyone can become a member of the Church, becoming an actual priest is a long and difficult process. First come various classes, taught by lay priests, all about the Church's history, principles and activities. If the applicant does well in class he graduates to the next level, taking personal instruction with a priest, learning prayers and other devotions. Most applicants become lay priests, working for the Church while studying. They can spend several years in instruction, until the priest feels they're ready. Then there's an audience with the bishop, and a stay in one of the Church's monasteries — several months to several years away from everyone except other faithful. During this time many of them experience true communion with the Goddess Madonna for the first time. If the applicant maintains his faith and still seems suitable, the monastery's head priest sponsors him for ordination. Once a priest is ordained, his life belongs to the Church. The council decides where he goes and what he will do, whether that's working a farm or preaching in a city. Most priests stay with the Church until they die, though as they get older they do more studious and clerical work and less physical labor. A few lose faith and break away, forsaking their vows. Those who do stay, and who distinguish themselves spiritually and politically, can rise through the ranks and eventually become a bishop. Women are allowed in the Church. Celibacy is honor in the church but as history shows, even some Archbishop disregard this rule and manage to father or mother illegitimate which cause outrage all around Hanver. =Leadership= Although the King of Cikira is the Head of the Church, it is the Lunar Archbishop who is the power behind the council. Most of the Archbishop's changes their birth name into a more appropriate holy name. King Sandro XI is the current head of the Church. The current Lunar Archbishop of the Church is Archbishop Avatea, originally known as Bishop Diana Coroni. =List of Important Diocese= Kandarlon *'Tarbell' *'Arnprior' Beolothor *'Arbon' *'Brundage' Cikira *'Konrig' *'Kerchais' *'Gabon' Dieber *'Leger' *'Yurin' Bapuria *'Bryce'